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Event Recap

Feb 27, 2019

New regional gas market dynamics under LNG expansion and the shale gas revolution

By Atlantic Council IN TURKEY

Recent global and regional developments driving changes in regional natural gas markets as well as future trends have been discussed at the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY Program’s conference held in Istanbul on “New Regional Gas Market Dynamics under LNG Expansion and Shale Gas Revolution”. The conference gathered high-level representatives of the public and private sectors […]

Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia

Event Recap

Dec 19, 2018

Turkey’s renewable investment outlook: renewable energy and new technologies

By David Livingston

On December 19th, the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY and the World Energy Council Turkey convened a high-level event on the outlook for renewable energy investment in Turkey. The half-day event, which featured a diverse set of international experts and energy sector leaders, was focused on taking stock of Turkey’s experience to-date in deploying renewable energy, […]

Energy & Environment Energy Transitions

Event Recap

Dec 6, 2018

Turkey’s energy sector dynamics

By Atlantic Council IN TURKEY

On December 6, 2018 the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY, held an event, co-hosted with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, in Washington, D.C. to launch a special issue jointly published with Turkish Policy Quarterly (TPQ), on Turkey’s energy sector dynamics entitled “Turkey’s Energy Nexus: Discoveries & Development”. Atlantic Council Turkey Representative Defne Arslan kicked off […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance
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Defne (Sadıklar) Arslan is the senior director and founder of Atlantic Council IN TURKEY, leading the Council’s global work and programming on Turkey. Arslan joined the Council in 2015 as the director of the Energy and Economic Summit before founding the Turkey program in 2018. Arslan also serves as the Council’s regional representative with a focus on Turkey.

Before joining the Council, Arslan had a seventeen-year career with the US State Department where she worked at the US embassy in Ankara as the chief Turkey economist responsible for monitoring the Turkish economy, as well as the IMF/World Bank programs being implemented in Turkey, and senior energy advisor.  In her role, she acted among the key interlocutors on local and regional energy policies including the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline project, Iraqi energy, the Eastern Mediterranean pipeline, and other regional economic and energy issues. Arslan is known to be a key regional energy expert and financial economist with her policy work and wide network.

Arslan is a former banker who started her career in Istanbul, where she successfully launched the early operations of an international bank. She expanded her experience also working as financial journalist and columnist for a financial/economic newspaper. Upon receiving the Chevening scholarship for her studies in finance, she lived and studied in the United Kingdom during the 1990s. During the same period, she was also honored with an Erasmus grant to work on her dissertation in Siena, Italy, on the European banking system.

Arslan worked at the Turkish International Cooperation Agency, where she was responsible for project financing in the Commonwealth of Independent States countries during her time in Turkey. Starting her early education in Tokyo, Arslan received a Bachelor of Science in economics from Middle East Technical University.

She also had an MBA and an MS in banking and finance. She has been awarded with several grants and awards throughout her career and education. Arslan speaks fluent English, and Turkish, and some Italian, French, and basic Japanese.